Past Ester
by master of gray
Summary: After the battle with pitch all of the Guardians are at North's place recovering when a curious Bunny finds a sleeping Frost and wonders to him self have they met before somewhere in the past.


The victory against Pitch was still fresh in my mind as I lifted myself out of the porcelain bath tub I had been soaking in; actually the battle was only a few hours old so the feeling of success was still tingly and new. Stepping up on a Russian embroidered bath rug and reaching over to the sink counter to grab the top of a stack of folded towels with needle point at the edges as well, I began to dry myself off. After the battle had ended North had flown all of us back to his palace at the top of the world so we could have some place safe and warm to clothe the wounds and to clean up, he also wanted to check up on the yetis and elves and make sure that toy making back on schedule.

Luckily there wasn't any real wound to dress just a few bumps and scuffs from the fight. Old St. Nick had been a kind enough to have guest lodgings made for us in a wing of his home where we could arrest and wash up. This hadn't been the first time that Tooth, Sandy, or I had been to the wintry palace, truth be told we all had gathered here on a number of times.

Whether to vanquished evil and stop certain doom, or the rare visits where we celebrated of all holiday's thanksgiving together and sat at a long richly polished oak table capable of setting at minimum of 15 people at once.

We all dinned under the light of a huge chandelier and held a thousand white candles or more with tiny tear drop shaped orange flames burning bright and open fireplace with the banquet of food been both traditional and personalized.

But the worst of events that had us got together as one would have been the sudden death of Mother Goose, I remember that day tragically I had brought a bouquet of spring flowers all picked from the Warren by myself when I came to pay final respects. The goose lady had been among the first generation of Guardians like North and me the difference between us and her was her immortality didn't cover everything and get eventually end.

She had been laid to rest in a coffin made entirely out of ice carved by North personally. The casket led had been transparent, clear as glass so we could see our friend in her final peace while the foundation had been solid white with engraved pictures of Mother Goose's most cherished children stories and nursery rhymes carved all around the sides of it. Each of us had approached to say our goodbyes to her and for those who had brought farewell gifts laid them on her coffin.

Tooth had brought the lavender stone cylinder that held into neat rows Mother Goose's baby teeth. The writer of small children's tall tales had indeed been one of the first Guardians but when we all first met she had been a young girl with gray eyes and wavy auburn hair. Her name then had been Katherine and she had been raised in a village in Siberia called Santoff Claussen, that was to be her final resting place and speaking of rising. I remember casting my attention over to Ombric, he had cared for Katherine since she was of walking age and had probably been the closest thing he had to a child of his own.

He look so frail with his head down and leaning on his traveling stuff tightly as if he might sink right through the floor if he let go. He looked as if he had lost a little piece of his very life a little piece of his heart, a piece of his soul. The wizard and I had a lot in common, we were the last of our kind. Me the last of the Pooka and him the last citizen of Atlantis and now we were father's who had both lost a child. That sad day had been more than 100 years ago and we had united two more times after, this come together of extraordinary heroes had made it a perfect dozen.

So surely we all knew where our rooms were. Letting help from my lungs a warm relaxed a sigh I continue toweling myself off I had already gone through two drying cloths and was working on a third. Being born with a natural fur coat had its drawbacks. Debating on what tribe and location one held from made a difference on what kind of fur you had both color and texture included.

While all of my kind had pretty similar pelts there were slight differences. Mine was pretty standard for a Pooka of my age. Much of my coat was course outer hairs with a few guard hairs and whiskers clustered around my inner ear and spread out through my pelt, finally there was the soft thick down covered my belly and under side as well as padded this rugged handsome face of mine. Satisfied with my work of drying myself off I gave myself a quick shake to knock the last few drops of water off and to put the strands of fur back in their rightful place.

Dropping the damp towel I had used into a reed basket next to the table I left the bathroom and the guest room I had been given as well and headed down the hall. I need it to speak to North about the up and coming holidays as well as if I'm in luck grabbed a class of warm brandy to drink. The hallways that led to the best lodgings were unoccupied by the palace is fulltime work staff making the travels from my room to the center of a Santa clause's toy shop quit and without elves to trip over.

Walking down the main corridor that lead to the center of the palace, feeling the thick course touch of the green and red carpet underneath my paws I passed and open room. A warm soft glow caught the corner of my eye and I paused in the hallway. Looking inside I found a very furnished sitting room with at the far side of where I stood at the entrance a fire calmly burning in a hearth. The dry heat of a low fire had the damp hairs on my body standing on edge at the pleasure of letting the cold wet patches of fur evaporate while sitting in the reach of the fireplace.

Moving leisurely into the room I checked the surroundings. The room was small and looked to be in the shape of a square with no windows or dumb Waiters to be seen and the only light coming from the flickering orange fire. With the fireplace in the center of the far wall the corners of the little hideaway were dark and most places shadowy with the abundance of furniture. It would have felt creepy or foreboding if it wasn't for the busy workshop right outside the thick door frame. The space was also much decorated, looking from corner to corner and from wall to wall I have to say it was overly decorated with the only sensible furniture been a long couch sitting about 10 feet in front of the hearth with a small oak table for sitting mugs of hot cocoa on positioned in between the two and finally a pair of identical chairs sitting on opposite sides of the blaze.

For all the oil paintings on the walls that unused oil lamps with the frosted glass chimneys, the wooden tables with fancy lace throws and the knickknacks and ornaments on the white fireplace mantel and everywhere else in this space the room was well minded and clean. There was no smell of old belongings or a gray powdering of dust on said belongings everything was tidy, despite the antiqueness of the space the room was probably used as a lounge for the yetis when they took their breaks.

Walking in casually I headed straight for the fireplace looking forward to sinking into one of the thickly cushioned chairs. Reaching the edge of the sofa on the right side of it for the second time this night something catches me from the corner of my eye. Looking down my eyebrows arched at who I see sleeping soundly on the fancy rich man's lazy Boy, Jack Frost.

Coming closer and pulled in my arms over the couches plush back bored I peered at the wintry trouble maker with curious eyes. The snow imp lay on his side down the length of the sofa with one of the many silk embroidered pillows under his temple and his old man staff tucked tightly in his arms. One side of my mouth curved up gently into a smile as I gazed down at the slumbering form of the spirit of winter. Frostbite still smelled of excitement and recently played in snow he must of come in here to rest first before cleaning up, there was no water stains on the carpet or couch from left over ice still clinging to his feet or clothes saying the little spirit had either toweled off his feet before hand or he had been sleeping in here in front of the fire for a while now.

I sighed deeply to myself; the hoodlum must have been exhausted it had been a hell of a last few days for everyone but especially for him. First he was spirited away to north's castle without his permission than he had to go on an epic battle with all of us against Pitch and on top of that he got his long lost memories back. All that in a count plus my bullying and negative comments to boot, ooh he most have been beat.

The warmth I had been feeling in my chest at seeing the slumbering snowflake quickly faded and a hard pit of guilt, regret, and mild self loading took its place. Standing straight with my eyes still on the sleeping white bundle I felt bad at myself. Given the chance the little fella had proven to be a brave soul, they determined protector, and not a half bad friend in the end and the back thought that all the integrations that had led to so much bad blood between him and I had been no more than a desperate attempt to get a reaction them both me and the people around him. All in the hopes of curing his loneliness and of ending his invisibility. My chest felt heavy from memories of the that but passed, thinking back I had been a bit of a jerk to the kid not that at the time he hadn't deserved it but it either way of thinking that he had only did what he had done to get seen really left a weight on my shoulders.

Luckily for the two of us the most recent memories of the past had been more forgiving; we both came to terms with our differences in attitudes and made history exactly what it was history. The soft warm glow from before returned as did my light smile, suddenly a sound caught me by surprise and knocked me out of my pleasant state. It sounded like something being pulled across thick fabric. My ears opened and shifted to and fro on the top of my head as my sense of hearing looked for the source of the rustling.

My ears may have been looking but it was my eyes that had already adjusted to the dim light that found the culprits. Huddled together at the other end of the sofa not far from Jack's bare feet were two..no.. three of my walking Easter eggs. The little peeps sat with their chickadee legs drawn up underneath them and pressed closely together for warmth and comfort. Among the trio two were painted in traditional style of fresh bright spring colors that wrapped around the shell in bands of various thicknesses decorated over top with detailed pictures of flowers.

One of the pair had several large peach colored lilies on it I outlined in gold while the other one had tiny pink and white cherry blossoms on it. A pair of beauties I wonder why they didn't get picked up? The third one that sat right in front of its too pretty siblings was one I recognized immediately, it was the one made in the mishap in the Warren just a few hours before Easter. It had been a madhouse in there with yetis and elves working and running about and this little fellow had gotten tangled in the Vines of and dyed a unique brand of colors and designs.

With all three of a them cuddled together on the cushions they looked remarkably like newly conceived bird eggs sitting in a nest. There was a tinge of sadness in my spirit for them, they had missed their shot at been basket fillers for some lucky kid this Easter then again with all the rushing around and the attack on the Warren by the nightmares it was a blessing that they hadn't got crushed in the chaos.

My ping of sadness wasn't too sharp even though the eggless had missed this holiday there was still next spring to have hope and a new Easter to look forward to. Maybe by next time around Bellevue some touch up on their colors or maybe even get new paint jobs done. As my memories gave me a history show on all the eggs I had helped paint all the chocolate rabbits I had helped mold and finally all the Easters that I had help make possible a thought busted in my mind. When

I had been the Easter hare from somewhere between 700 or 900 years now and had been hiding eggs around the world all that time and what trumpeted in my head was the that in that time have I ever met Jack Frost. Looking from the clustered treasures to the sleeping Frost I did a background check on my past experience with Jack I knew I'd had memories of him as the spirit of fun but what about further back during his life as a human.

My eyebrows kitted as I searched the past for him, at first I looked for teens with white hair and him and a few others flashed past but none of Jack as a mortal. Then I'd remembered as of recently the kid had been talking about his returned memories at any settled opportunity. He had told us that he had a sister a family that he had been born on the colonial era and had been raised in the foundation town of what is now modern day Burgess.

He also said that unlike his current appearance of powder white hair and blue eyes he had been born actually with brown hair and eyes and that they hadn't turned colors till after he became a spirit. I was pinching my chin between my thumb and forefinger as I remembered what I had learned. I wanted to passes to help thank better but stood still on my feet not wanting to step on and uneven floorboard and wake of the frosty rascal.

To help look for him better in my memory I tried to imagine the winter wonder without his trade mark colors but found it easier to thank then to actually picture. Every time I'd tried adding coco to Jack's white and blue the image in my mind morphed into somebody else completely, it was a little frustrating I just couldn't imagine Jack any other way then the way he was now. Looking for him in my memory wasn't working but perhaps playing spot that Frost wasn't the way to go either.

If my memory of sight wasn't working then maybe my memory of smell and hearing would be more helping. I rarely forgot a face I had seen or a place I had been especially if either had been beautiful but I forgot a scent and a voice even less. Relaxing the mind I tried the search again, I focused first on his sent it was a little hard actually the smell of cold and wet winter that usually wafted off him was so strong that it was hard to tell if there was ever a human boy underneath at all, but also I had known Jack since the first meeting with him by this sent of ice and fresh snow and that in print was hard to shake.

But after some concentration I was able to shrift through the different aromas of winter to find the sharp sent of a teenager just beneath the snow. Teenagers had a strong smell to them that typically was hard to miss and at times was a bit overpowering but like any other person they two had and unique smell to them all their own. In Jack's case passed the stench of hormones the scent of a troublemaker could be smelled as well as the light aroma of newly kneaded dough powdered in white flower.

Now that I knew his sent for shore I tried his voice, much easier considering that probably hadn't changed since he became a guardian. Closing my eyes I began to search the past once more using the timeless things that I knew of him and the things he had told us to help pinpoint the time in history where I brought him Easter eggs.

I had been to Burgess a handful of times since it's built and population so I knew I had memories of its colonial days, all I had to do was think back. Burgess in its foundation was a peaceful bustling place where everyone worked to help hold up the roof of their society including the children, in those days it was everybody's responsibility to help of the committee to children regardless of age were not exempt.

In that day if it wasn't school than it was chores, baking bread, churning butter, or sweating in the fields were all part of childhood routine. Not quite as carefree and leisurely as it is for kids today, so when a holiday rolled around it was a jubilee for every one the children most especially. A wisp of exhaustion passed through me and I let out a quiet sigh to speed it up.

Jack was in there in my memories I just had to find him. Homing in on some of the Easter egg hunts I had waited around to watch just out of sight of the children I let my mind be flooded with all the sensations I have recorded of those events. There was laughter and shouting whenever a cluster of goodies had been found, there was also the sounds of bugs zipping by and birds chirping to one another. The grass was damp and the breeze was fresh, it was a perfect spring day for Easter holiday. Listening to the past and the happiness of the children a single voice suddenly brightened above the others.

It was a young male early teens and he sounded joyful and familiar. Before I could lose it like daylight in a approaching glooming I can't an traded my thoughts on that voice. I played the happenings of that day through my mind, curious about the fun the children were having I crouched around behind a thick dark green leafed bush just a few yards away from where the ankle biters were playing and peered through an opening in the thick branches. I could see in the meadow a small garrison of youngsters not really big compared to other parts of the new world but speaking from experience 8 or more kids is considered a lot, this band of almost a Baker's dozen was not so big.

Each held in their grip a yellow hand woven basket probably made out of marsh reads were hollow wheat. They ran here and they're peering through long grass and blooming flowers for their eggs, a shot came from the branches of a low canopy tree were a boy between the ages of a 11 or 12 by the looks of it had climbed up into to look for Easter eggs in a bird's nest.

With every new discovery on their chocolate scavenger hunt the kids would hop up and down and shot harey when out loud for everyone to hear, they were so happy and joyful. My chest swelled with satisfaction at the site of their bliss, it was experiences like this one that made the oath I'd took well worth every word and the efforts I made for this one day a year event well worth the hassle. Quickly and of the kits all came together to the center of the green clearing to form an perfect circle of disheveled mops of hair. I could see from my spot all the children facing each other and holding out their baskets for all members to look inside to see what they had found, looks of curiosity and pride stretched on their features.

Gathering around one another to study each other's bounty my sharp ears picked up their chitchat, compliments about their findings and questions to everyone about if they have found all I had hidden for them and had they searched everywhere. It sounded like the ester egg hunt for this year was about to come to an end and any egglness that might have been left unfound we'll just have to wait till sundown and then walk to the nearest rabbit hole and return to the Warren can wait till next year to try again.

Just as I was about to make myself scarce that familiar voice suddenly rang out he from out of the crowd. "Hey how many did you find Mary?" looking back to the crowd of kids I caught sight of the voice's owner and who he was having a conversation with. A young man 16 I think stood in front of a little girl about half his size the girl wore a brown dress that fell to the glass with her sleeves pulled up and a Easter basket looped in her right arm well the teenager was dressed in a pair of brown pants a white shirt with the long sleeves folded up to the elbows and a short cape wrapped around his shoulders and title loosely in front his holiday basket in his left hand.

The two both had dark brown hair his short in hers long with matching eyes.

"Oh I found so many a even more than last year." The little sweetheart spoke. The boy smiled warmly at her, "Will that's wonderful, any special ones out of your grabbing?" I watched as Mary Ashe she was called gauss down in to her basket and reach in with a small hand and pulled out an egg held tightly in her palm so not to drop it.

"See this one right here, isn't the prettiest." She replied looking back up at the boy with pride. The Easter egg wasn't different in size from its other kin but its pattern was what made it stand out.

Wrapped in a designs that resembled a cathedral stained glass window the goody was a dazzle with hues of pink, purple, blue, lavender, poppy red, and green in a water color blend with vivid black lines gridding a cross the shape letting the dyes brighten.

"Oh that one is pretty, where did you find it?" the young fellow asked. Stepping back a little with one foot the sweetheart pointed to a spot far behind her. "Over their brother, hidden among those Daffodils." So they were siblings, they did look a lot alike that may seem so fond of each other unlike the nippers I had grown up with. Talk about sibling rivalry.

In present time a warm grain polled on the corners of my muzzle as I watched the memory of the brother and sister laughing play in my head as I still search my thoughts for my spirit friend. Back in the past a bug hummed in the soft hairs of my left ear and I shook my head and flayed paw to send it a way and turned my eyes to the kids again.

They were still smiling and talking to one another Mary's hand still held up with the pretty egg caged in her fingers, from the corners of my vision I could see that the other children had scattered with only a few remaining to socialize and the rest doing a final sweep over of the meadow to make sure no painted gifts had been left unfound. It looked as if all was good another Easter gone will and a after work party from and my eggling well deserved but that atmosphere of celebration and success evaporated fast with what followed next.

I was still focused on the two that had been the center of my attention now when from the distance I saw another boy approaching them. He looked around Mary's brothers age and dressed in the same colonial day clothes that all the other children were wearing minus the cape there and speaking of around the area the kid had a waistline like the hemisphere of a global of the world around from back to front. His face like his belly was around and punchy with thin pressed together lips and dark small eyes sated in his head and on top of that was a light brown tufts of hair laying flat underneath a black hat with a narrow brim and a white band wrapped around the head intent.

"Hey!" the big one shouted as he moved closer to the siblings. The pair flinched at their surprised visitors call and looked in his way. A negative feeling Zinged through the atmosphere and I saw how the children quickly change from content to nerves. I saw how the older brother shoulders stiffened an a hard, defeated, and slight anger appear on his face while Mary on the other hand look a little afraid and drew her arms up to her chest in a defense manner."So…" the little pig in boys' clothing said in a stock up tone as he stopped right in between Mary and her brother. "Did you find anything worth talking about, or did you two find nothing but painted rocks?" without missing a cue the big brother stepped up and spoke.

"Nothing I'm sure you haven't already seen or don't have Walter." I heard him say in a more friendly tone with a less aggressive expression on his face. "And you could all wise keep looking I'm positive there are some still left over." Walter as I heard him called looking between the girl and the boy a self gaining glint in his beady eyes before those beady eyes landed upon what was being held tight in the dainty hands of Mary.

"Ooh that's a pretty egg…" the chubby kid said turning slowly toward her with a sinister smile on his face. "How about you give it to me to hold and you can go have one of the wild Turkey eggs." Mary's eyebrows dipped down in a stern way and she turned a shoulder to shield her fragile treasure. "No!" a cross expression pitched on his face at the little sweethearts offer rejection and reached a bloated hand out to take the goody from her.

My nose ringlet in contempt, so the brat was a bully I thought to myself and for a sec conspired to pop up from these shrubs and go over there and give him a talking to but someone else beat me to the punch. Mary's older brother came forward and stepped between her and her would be as alter. "Stop picking on her Walter and let her keep her egg she found it." the boy being spoken to made a nasty face at being defied and snap sharply at the other. "Get out of the way Frost or you'll have more than just a button nose!"

My ear twitched at the ugly promise but it wasn't but with the threat that perked my attention it was the name mentioned in the false words of intimidation. Frost. As in my Frost, Jack Frost. A small rush streamed through me, back in the memory I shifted a little on my rabbit's feet as I observed the outcome. The older brother and possibly that true identity of the spirit of winter stood his ground against the slightly taller boy. "Now come on Walter think about it if your father the village minister found out that you were bullying people he'd have tan your hide and if we were both found fighting the schoolteacher would tend both our hides, and I can tell you now I don't want to get a switching on Easter."

The words of wisdom from the young adolescent's mouth fell on deaf ears as the more fluff then huffy bully was more concerned about getting his way then consequences. Walter lunged forward to try and grab the other by the collar only for his target to move out of his range and put a little distance between them. Frost as he was being called held his hands up in a defensive position and tried again to speak reason.

"I don't want to fight Walter!" he said in stern voice partied with a look of seriousness as well, a quick wave of his arm in Mary's direction and she swiftly moved from her place in the soon to be battlefield to a safer place behind a tree on the other side of her brother's vision, the treasure egg still tightly in her grip as she peered at her siblings back.

In less than a flash the bully ran for words with a fist up and ready to pound his adversary into the ground but found no matter how fast he launched his smaller opponent was much more swifter and stayed a distance from him. In the light of a few moments it resembled a victory with Mary's brother out lasting Walter but ending proved to still be a ways away when the featherweight picked up a baseball sized rock in his hand.

Clearly frustrated with his shortcoming and willing to cause actual harm he held the dull gray stone up and made a gesture as if he was going to throw it. Realizing the far more real danger there was from her spot behind the tree Mary showed it to her protector. "Jack!" and with that it all fell together. As his poses suggested Walter hurled with all his might the rock right at Frost's brow. Acting fast Jack tumble to the side missing the projectile that was aimed for him and landing on his hands and feet, fearing for a repeat with another stone cast his way the young man searched the grass for a weapon of his own.

His fingers finally found something rough and cylinder and latched onto it. Not once taking his eyes of his enemy the lad stood up off the ground and held in both his hands his new weapon. The wooden pole that kid had was far from a stick, as long as he was tall and a less than perfect hook shaped curve at the top, in all in all it looked more like a shepherd's staff than some broken off tree limb.

The two boys steered at each other with the better of the two posting a glare of anxious preparation as he clinched the staff out in front of him. Committed to his way Walter launched himself forward a fist raised back up in the air but Jack was better prepared this time.

Swinging his new toy Jack was able to catch with the hook end of his stuff Walter by the ankle and with a mighty pull yanked his foe's feet from out of under him causing the bully to collide with a thud face first back into the earth. Everything was quiet Mary by her bark shield and her brother standing tall with the staff in one hand right beside him as they waited on the outcome. Slowly the heavyweight back to his feet and wiped his red face with the back of his hands, without saying a word or turning around the boy Walter anticlimactically walked away.

Both children stared after him till he faded away in the distance before the relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief. Once the cost was clear Mary wasted no time in running to her brother's side a huge smile on her face as she cast her eyes adoringly upon her guardian and spoke. "I can't believe you did it but I mean you really did, you sent that bully walking."

She stuttered. Her big brother looked down at her with a thoughtful expression. "And what you thought I couldn't, well as your egg is still with you I don't have as much as a scratch on me I guess that tells us, the victor is."Mary's grin waded but then quickly changed to a more serious line on her mouth. "Jack…" she said almost sternly. "What if he comes back and starts picking on me and taking my things, but do I do then?" Jack cocked a warm hearted grin and answered. "Oh don't worry I don't, Walter don't bother you again."

"How do you know?" she asked in a curious voice. "Because I'm your guardian and I pledge to never let anything happen to you and that's a promise." the siblings smiled at each other knowing that there bond was true and forever before they turn to leave the meadow and head home. I remember I stayed their hidden behind that bush watching as they held hands and walked away before leaving to attend to my after Ester agenda.

Opening my eyes and letting them adjust to the firelight I turned them to rest on Frost, neither he or the clutch of eggs at his feet had moved one bit all seem to be resting peacefully with the egglings no longer fedgging. Looking at the troublemaker a feeling of pride and security swelled up inside me, I knew he was somewhere in my memories I could feel it in my whiskers and now with past events in the spotlight I felt a stronger connection to the fellow spirit.

From the very start Jack has been a the hoodlum, a problem child, a holiday wrecker, and a thorn in my side but despite that he was always been a guardian as well, I know that facet since the day I saw him way back in the past before he was the spirit of winter and fun since before he took the oath of protectors he Jack Frost was a guardian.

A heavy sigh passed through me and my tired back and damp fur called back to me, moving away I'd took a seat in an armchair located close to the fireplace and made myself comfortable propping my rabbits feet on a footstool in front of it. As I settled down for some sleep I cast one final glance towards the couch and its sleeping occupants, seeing the other guardian resting peacefully another small smile crossed my face before I leaned my head back and fell asleep myself dreaming of Kung fu carrots wielding long shepherd's staffs.

_The End_

_A little gray note- it's been about four months since my last fanfic installment the ones I were doing had to be cut short I wish they hadn't but they did. So I hope this one will do for now, it's a little substantial but not boring. I actually started writing this one the November of last year and was working on it on and off till I ended it today, ooh I hope you find this story good I've been working on it for almost a year._

_Please forgive any misspelled words or incorrect grammar my profile page could give you the answer to that._

_Reviews are appreciated and opinions wanted._


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